Essentials Guide Beijing

B E I J I NG

ESSENTIALSTHE

GUIDE

FIRSTEDITION2010

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Essentials Guide Beijing 1st Edition

Copyright © The British School of Beijing 2010All Rights Reserved

Chief Editor - Travis MurrayManaging Editor - Laura WestleyPrimary Design - Shanghai Yang Ma AdvertisingSecondary Design - Elliot RichardsPrimary Copywriting - Tom BewickSecondary Copywriting - Travis Murray, Mike Embley, Laura WestleyProofreading - Aelred Doyle

While every possible effort has been taken to ensure that the facts contained within this guide are accurate, The British School of Beijing cannot accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions that this guide may contain.

No part of this guide may be reproduced, or distributed by elec-tronic means or any other without the prior permission of The British School of Beijing.

B E I J I NG

ESSENTIALSTHE

GUIDE

GETTING AROUND

MONEY & BANKING

GETTING CONNECTED

HEALTH CARE

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION

FINDING HOUSING

GETTING SETTLED

CULTURE SHOCK

EDUCATION

EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

HISTORY

PEOPLE & CULTURELANGUAGE

GEOGRAPHYCLIMATE

ADMINISTRATIVE PREPARATIONS

BOOKS, FILMS & MUSICHEALTH & WELLNESS

PRACTISING RELIGION

EATING & DRINKING

SHOPPING

TOURIST ATTRACTIONSFAMILY ACTIVITIES

GETTING INVOLVED

BEIJING NEIGHBOURHOODS

WHEN YOU ARRIVE

PREPARING TO GO

LIVING IN BEIJING

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here is no easy way to prepare for a place like Beijing. There is simply nothing else like it in the world. Beijing is a dynamic,

vibrant, inspiring and cosmopolitan metropolis. Most expats reveal experiencing an overall feeling that ‘this is where things are happening’. At the same time, Beijing is one of the world’s most historically and culturally rich cities, with six UNESCO World Heritage Sites and over 2,000 years of history. Beijing surprises newcomers with its lasting beauty and street level charm amid alarmingly rapid growth.

TIntroduction

The charm lies in the city’s ancient cultural and architectural roots, combined with its unrelenting drive into the future. Although an outsider will always be a laowai (foreigner), the people of Beijing are welcoming. Look forward to good friendships and respectable business relationships with local people.

eijing has a way of luring people in and keeping them. Be prepared to hear from expats and Chinese alike that

they came to Beijing to work or study years ago, and then couldn’t bring themselves to leave, even after experiencing the August heat and January freeze.

B

iving and working in Beijing means amazing career opportunities, exciting language challenges and cultural

immersion. You can enjoy food from all over Asia, mingle in a large and diverse expatriate community and be a part of the fastest-growing economy in the world. However, this also comes with frustrations. Beijing is crowded, noisy and chaotic.

L

People push on the subway. The air quality is low. Adjusting to a new language, a new culture and a new government can be frustrating. Acclimating to a vastly different environment takes time, patience, flexibility and a good sense of humour.

his Beijing Essentials Guide is designed to help you prepare for Beijing, and settle in once you get there.

Despite its challenges, Beijing is an easy place to live as an expat. It has world-class hospitals, Western-standard accommodation and high-quality accredited international schools. Newcomers can find countless cultural events, interest groups and organisations to make Beijing become a home away from home.

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THE ESSENTIALS GUIDE BEIJING

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Preparing to go will be as much a mental journey as it will be a practical one. Understanding more about the dramatically different culture you are about to encounter will help prepare you for the experience. You can read a book or watch a movie we recommend or you can engage in your own research. Either way, the process will reward you.

The practical aspects of preparation are of course vital to ensuring that your journey begins on a positive note. This section will help you prepare on both fronts.

HISTORY

PEOPLE & CULTURE

LANGUAGE

GEOGRAPHY

CLIMATE

ADMINISTRATIVE PREPARATIONS

BOOKS, FILMS & MUSIC

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CONTENTS

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History

Like many of the world’s great cities, Beijing has been defined by its location. Tucked away in the northern corner of China, Beijing is far from

the coast and major waterways, making it an unlikely place for a capital city. Unless you are fortunate enough to have a view northward from high up in a building on a clear day, you are unlikely to notice how close Beijing is to the mountains that historically divided the world of steppe nomads beyond the Great Wall from the sedentary agricultural communities on the Beijing side. It was from these northern passes that the non-Han rulers of China who have, over time, held the city longer than ethnically Han regimes, emerged. The historical wheels that created modern-day Beijing were set in motion over 2,000 years ago when the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) began fortifying the city’s northern boundaries from threats from the strategic mountain passes used by nomads to attack and pillage. The ancient Great Wall helped establish the city of Ji, a regional seat of power, and allowed communities to peacefully farm the fertile lands to the south.

Throughout the 1,200 years after the fall of the short-lived Qin Dynasty, Beijing was somewhat of a frontier town, frequently changing names and rulers. The Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) was relatively prosperous for several centuries, but eventually succumbed to nomadic tribes. After its collapse, the region came under the domain of a series of kingdoms founded

The Chinese are intensely proud of their history. Learning more

will help you understand the

complexities of China better.

The iconic ‘Turret’ of the Forbidden

City at night

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by proto-Tibetan and Turco-Mongolian nomads. As each kingdom settled in, it used Beijing as a fortified staging ground for strikes against other steppe nomads eyeing the fertile farmlands on the south side of the Great Wall. The Jin Dynasty (1126-1234) was the first to designate the Beijing area as the capital of a significant portion of China. By the late 12th century Zhongdu (Middle Capital) had a population of nearly a million. However, in 1215 Zhongdu was virtually destroyed by one of the most powerful forces to ever cross continental Asia: Genghis Khan’s Mongol armies.

Under the reign of Genghis Khan’s grandson Kublai Khan, the Mongols established the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). They chose to govern from Beijing, making it the capital of all China for the first time (Khan’s palace stood in what is now Beihai Park). It was during the Yuan Dynasty that the foundations for modern Beijing were laid, including the city’s rectangular, grid-style layout. Marco Polo amazed Europeans after visiting the Yuan Court with his descriptions of a modern, opulent city using paper money and other unheard-of technologies. Polo described it as “so rich and so beautiful that no man could ever do anything superior to it.”

Ming and Qing Dynasties

In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang led his rebel forces to victory over the Mongols, restoring Chinese rule under the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). A few decades

You are moving to one of the world’s great cities... prepare to be overwhelmed.

REALITYCHECK

The former palace of Kublai Khan at Beihai Park

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later, Emperor Yongle began a huge construction project with the intention of creating a grand Chinese capital, which he called Beijing (Northern Capital). High walls were built, along with a grand palace, known as the Forbidden City. The Great Wall – the one visible today – was restored and built up, and Ming China became very inward-looking. Eventually, however, inept and apathetic governance bred widespread unrest that paved the way for a takeover by the Manchus, assisted over the Great Wall by a Ming general. The ensuing Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) expanded China to include Manchuria, Mongolia and Tibet. The Qing maintained an ethnic hierarchy, forcibly removing Han families to the southern Outer City. They enlarged the Forbidden City and built enormous imperial pleasure gardens in Beijing’s outskirts, the most famous of these being the Old Summer Palace, which upon completion was said to be more magnificent than Versailles.

However, foreign encroachment in the mid- and late 19th century and the resulting discontent would soon doom China’s last empire. The Opium Wars and the Boxer Protocols crippled the Qing Court and humiliated the proud Chinese. The tides of revolution grew, led by Hawaiian-educated doctor Sun Yatsen. When Empress Dowager Cixi died in 1908 and was succeeded by 2-year-old Emperor Puyi, it marked the end of the Qing Dynasty. Dr Sun Yatsen led the military uprising in 1911 that officially ended thousands of years of imperial rule in China.

The May Fourth Movement and the Communist Party

Named for the demonstration of May 4, 1919, against the attribution to Japan of Germany’s concessions in China by the Allied Powers at

Versailles, the May Fourth Movement is credited with initiating the New

The Great Wall of China

There is no better city in China for

those interested in history.

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Culture Movement. Westernised youth demanded gender equality and a vernacular literature. Around the same time, a young library assistant at Peking University named Mao Zedong was showing interest in the young Communist Party. During the years leading up to World War II (or the War of Japanese Aggression), China was splintered between warlords, Communists (CCP) and the Kuomintang Nationalists (KMT), led by Generalissimo Chiang Kaishek. Full-scale civil war broke out between the CCP and the KMT after the Japanese were expelled in 1945. Mao Zedong led the Communists to victory in 1949, forcing the KMT to retreat to Taiwan. Chiang Kaishek took 13,484 crates of Chinese imperial treasure – hidden from the Japanese in Shanghai – with him. On October 1, 1949, Mao stood on Tiananmen Gate and declared the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.

Revolutionary Beijing

In the past 50 years, Beijing has arguably changed more than it did in the previous 500. Chairman Mao immediately set about taking down relics of

Beijing’s imperial past and rebuilding the city as a functional and industrial capital. Ming Dynasty walls were torn down to make way for the 2nd Ring Road; courtyard homes were subdivided and parcelled out to working families; enormous apartment blocks were constructed; and, in an effort to push China into the industrial age with his Great Leap Forward initiative, small and large factories were built and staffed by agrarian workers to promote steel production. This last initiative was a catastrophe that drove China into famine. During the ‘Cultural Revolution’ that followed (1966-76), many of Beijing’s temples and other architectural treasures were damaged by zealots who saw them as vestiges of Old China.

One of the few remaining hutongs in Beijing

Take a walk through one of the remaining hutongs in Beijing and you will see authentic remnants of the revolution.

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Today’s Beijing

Beijing’s physical transformation was further accelerated after Mao’s death in 1976 under the reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping. Eager

to make changes, Deng famously declared that “Reform is China’s second revolution” and that “Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious.” These statements more accurately reflect Beijing’s attitude today than the austerity and cultural purges of Mao’s rule. True to his word, Deng Xiaoping opened up the economy in the 1980s, sparking rapid economic growth and a massive construction boom. Nevertheless, in the 1980s Beijing’s tallest building was still the 17-storey Beijing Hotel. In the 1990s Beijing’s growth was steady, but it hit break-neck speed just after the turn of the millennium, when China was accepted into the World Trade Organization and awarded the 2008 Summer Olympics. Since then, hundreds of new malls, apartment towers, international hotels and skyscrapers have sprung up across the city, producing a skyline that rivals New York or Chicago. The 2008 Olympics were an opportunity for Beijing to showcase itself as an international city and demonstrate its potential as a world superpower. A logistical success, the games were enjoyed by millions. Thanks to years of vigorous preparations for the Games, Beijing’s infrastructure rivals that of any Western city.

Beijing: The new frontier?

Beijing is still a frontier city in many ways. State-sponsored projects like the 2008 Olympics have left lasting physical impressions on the city,

but the more profound changes defining Beijing are social and economic. Millions of rural migrants have moved to Beijing seeking not only jobs, but also a taste of the glitz and glamour that Beijing now offers as a global

Beijing underwent a massive

transformation for the 2008

Olympics. Some say the new

Beijing is almost unrecognisable.

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metropolis. To satisfy the tastes of a new moneyed class, Beijing abounds with new malls, boutiques, international restaurants and flashy nightclubs. As the one-child generation has come of age, it has turned a city of bikes and horse-drawn carts into a city of cars and trucks. Beijing’s youth are independent and outward-looking, heavily influenced by their exposure to international ideas and culture. Indeed, nothing on the gargantuan scale of Beijing’s transformation could have happened without this opening-up to the outside world: foreign investment, technology and millions of annual international visitors have permanently transformed Beijing and China. As China expands, this foreign-driven transformation is becoming reciprocal.

Of course, rapid progress has a price. This is initially visible in the air quality. Despite government measures taken prior to the Olympics, Beijing remains one of the world’s most polluted cities. On some days, it is at dangerous levels. Most of the charming old hutongs have been demolished in favour of more efficient people-holding apartment blocks. In fact, unless you are standing in the middle of the Forbidden City, there is little evidence that you are in historical China. And although inflation is centrally controlled, prices are still rising and the poor are not keeping up with the rich. The rapid population increase and improved standard of living have taken a frightening toll on China’s water supply. Only one reservoir remains, and academics fear that by 2020 Beijing will be unsustainable as a city.

Looking to the future, Beijing will define China, as it has for centuries. It is the frontier of cultural change and economic growth, and of China’s challenges. The nation will continue to look to Beijing for direction.

Beijing SOHO

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HISTORY

Must-see hutongs are around the area of Gulou. Here you are close to a fantastic lake, Houhai, and a renovated hutong, Nanluoguxiang.


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Population

Estimates of Beijing’s population vary, depending on whether long-term and temporary migrants are included in the calculation. The residential

population is projected to reach 14 million by 2010, which does not include a floating population of 4 to 6 million unregistered migrants. Included in the first number are about 80,000 registered foreigners. The majority of the Chinese are Han, followed by significant numbers of ethnic Hui and Manchu. Koreans are by far the most common foreign nationals in Beijing, followed by Japanese and Americans. Foreigners from every corners of the globe call Beijing home.

Culture

Getting to know a new culture is one of the most exciting

aspects of living abroad. A city as vibrant and diverse as Beijing presents endless wonderment to Western visitors. The city is composed of migrants from all over China and the world. Beijing has been China’s political and cultural centre for centuries and, for better or for worse, Beijingers hold that title with great pride.

‘Beijingers’ are generally considered people whose families have lived there for at least two generations. Chinese speakers can distinguish them by the ubiquitous ‘rrrr’ of the local dialect, which non-Beijingers jokingly say sounds like a mouth full of bean curd. They are known in China as being serious and politically savvy. Beijingers, like most Chinese, are welcoming hosts who are proud of their city and their role as bearers of the national torch.

While China remains strongly unified, it is still

very diverse. Understanding

traditional regional rivalries

and differences will help you

understand China and the Chinese

people better. These differences

can be understood by a north-

south east-west relationship. You

will find that southerners are

different than northerners and

easterners are different than

westerners. Sound familiar?

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Beijing’s Foreign Population


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Despite these stereotypes, the truth is that Beijing is immensely diverse and it is difficult to generalise about the attitudes and personalities of its people. The city is, and has always been, a melting pot of different ethnic groups. Chinese people from outside Beijing make up a substantial part of the city’s population, which has doubled since 1978. Given that the one-child policy was introduced in 1979, most of this growth is the result of rural migration. You will find most people in this international city welcoming to foreigners and tolerant of different habits and customs.

Despite its open and international character, Beijing is still in China and in many respects very Chinese. There are a few intricacies of Chinese etiquette to be aware of before arriving in Beijing.

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Beijingers are well known to be kind and warm hearted with a wicked sense of humour.

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Face

The concept of ‘face’ is prevalent throughout China and can never be underestimated. People go to great lengths to acquire it by displays

of wealth or generosity. For example, never insist on paying for a meal hosted by a local. This would be a serious faux pas. Complimenting someone on their appearance or business acumen – especially in front of their pals or colleagues – is a sure winner. Confrontation and public criticism are guaranteed face-destroyers, and will inevitably be counter-productive. When in doubt, be lavish with compliments, or at the very least, be quiet and respectful.

In business, understanding ‘face’ can mean the difference between success and failure or promotion and demotion. If you want to become a master, study how locals handle social situations and pay attention to those situations where subordinates are deferential to their superiors.

Gender

Many Westerners misperceive the position and treatment of women in Chinese society. While there is still a lingering ‘old boys club’ mentality

in some sectors, you will encounter female professionals in almost every field. Keep in mind that as an expat – male or female – your behaviour will be more heavily scrutinised than if you were Chinese. In some cultures, flirting and casually touching members of the opposite sex is normal and

Expect to see an interesting

fusion of Eastern and Western fashion when you arrive in

Beijing. What you may consider inappropriate at

home does not necessarily apply

in Beijing.

Prepare to sacrifice personal

space in public areas.

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harmless, but this is generally not the case in Beijing. Even holding hands can be considered very intimate behaviour. Casual flirting can start rumours, particularly in the workplace. It is best for expats to avoid physical contact with acquaintances of the opposite sex in public.

Public behaviour

Avoid expansive gestures, emotional displays, unusual facial expressions and sarcasm, as these will generate confused reactions. The Chinese

dislike being touched by strangers. Conversely, the Chinese generally stand closer to each other than Europeans or North Americans when they are speaking. Putting your hands in your mouth is considered vulgar, so nail-biting and flossing in public are big no-nos. Beijing is a smoker’s paradise. Cigarettes are cheap and smoked by many. A few restaurants are finally offering smoke-free sections. Spitting is very popular, ranging from minor spittle to a full-throttled, lung-rattling, expectorant cough. This is revolting. However, the belief is that it is healthy to expel noxious fluids from the body, and despite half-hearted public efforts to encourage civility, it is hardly on the wane.

The Chinese are generally not fond of public displays of affection such as kissing. While you may see women holding the arms of their loved ones, bolder displays are uncommon.

Conversation

Negative replies are considered impolite. Instead of saying ‘No’, answer indirectly. Replies such as ‘Maybe’, ‘I’ll think about it’ or ‘We’ll see’

will generate a much better reaction and allow the questioner to save face. When addressing a group, acknowledge the most senior person first. Questions about your age, income and marital status are common. If you don’t want to reveal this information, prepare non-specific responses. Do not be surprised if there are periods of silence during dinner. It is a sign of politeness or thought and need not be broken with uncomfortable small talk.

Politics

Avoid controversial topics such as Falun Gong and Tibet. You’ll immediately be faced with hushed silences and possibly even suspicious

stares. Googling these same issues could lead to your server being shut down. Avoid being openly critical of the Chinese state or culture around people you don’t know well, even if it happens to be the topic of conversation. For many Chinese, it is OK if they complain about government policy or activities, but they may take offence to foreigners doing so. When in doubt, it is best to commiserate by lamenting similar problems within your own government or culture.

If you want to be happy in China, leave your preconceptions at home and open your mind. Everything will be very different and confusing at times... but the experience will help you understand the world better.

REALITYCHECK

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Language

China’s official language is Mandarin Chinese. A notoriously difficult language to learn, it has no set alphabet and instead uses characters,

which number approximately 50,000. Fortunately for Mandarin learners, not all are in everyday use and mastery of about 3,000 is enough to read a newspaper. Learning spoken Mandarin is made easier through the use of Pinyin, a phonetic system that uses the Roman alphabet to represent characters. Nonetheless, Mandarin is still tricky to learn because it is a tonal language. Each character is assigned one of four main tones in spoken form: first tone (high and level), second tone (rising from medium to high), third tone (starting low, dipping lower and then rising again) and fourth tone (sharply falling from high to low), as well as a fifth neutral tone. Depending on which tone (and character) is employed, the same pinyin word will have numerous meanings. For example, the word ‘ma’ can mean ‘mother’, ‘hemp’, ‘horse’ or ‘to swear or reprimand’, among other things. This, of course, could cause embarrassing misunderstandings.

The Chinese are generally extremely patient and forgiving with Westerners struggling through Mandarin. Locals greatly appreciate any

effort to learn their language, and speaking a few phrases is seen as a sign of respect and will help you interact and integrate with the locals. It is advisable to learn some words and phrases right away. Pick up a phrasebook, and watch or listen to a tutorial a few times before you go. All of these resources are easy to find at bookstores or online.

English is spoken in most central and expat neighbourhoods, such as Chaoyang Park, the Central Business District, Lido and in and around the

popular tourist sites near the city centre. Generally, you can get by without any Chinese in establishments frequented by Westerners. Hotels, cafés, restaurants, bars, banks, museums, fitness clubs and boutiques will normally have at least one English-speaker on hand. However, while English is spoken, it may not be spoken or understood well. You will soon learn through experience to enunciate well and speak slowly in order to be understood. Do not expect to find English-speakers among the average passers-by on the street, in taxis or buses, in local restaurants and markets, and generally in non-central neighbourhoods that are not near expat areas. Many signs, notices and publications in Beijing are characterised by what can only be classified as ‘Chinglish’. This new, developing form of communication is derived from poor translations done by Chinese English-learners. It is usually decipherable with a bit of patience and a keen eye for humour.

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For some, Mandarin learning

will take a few years, for many, it can take over 10 years to become

fluent.

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Water painting poems

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Cityscape

The urban area of Beijing is located in the south-central part of the municipality and occupies a small but expanding portion of its area.

It spreads out in bands of concentric ring roads, of which the fifth and outermost, the Sixth Ring Road (the numbering starts at 2), passes through several satellite towns. Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) and Tiananmen Square are at the centre of Beijing, and are directly to the south of the Forbidden City, the former residence of the Ming and Qing emperors of China. West of Tiananmen is Zhongnanhai, which is the residence of the top leaders of the People’s Republic of China. Chang’an Avenue runs from east to west through Beijing and is one of the city’s main thoroughfares.

Following the revolution, Beijing’s cityscape was radically transformed to the point that little remains of its architectural heritage outside of the major sites; however there are many of these.

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GEOGRAPHY

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